Creating textures in any visual art gives the art excitement, movement, and variety. Somehow an otherwise drab looking artwork comes alive when textures and texture contrasts are incorporated into the painting. Aside from that, depths and shades are better executed, monotony is removed, and interests are sparked.
There are combinations and variants in creating texture some of the most often practiced are:
Splattering textures involves loading a brush with color and tapping the brush at a height to towards the paper. Care is observed when splattering a texture since too much water in the brush might lead to big blots and blobs that will not be as easy to control. Another technique at splattering a texture is to use a pencil or the handle of another brush when tapping the brush that is loaded with color unto the paper.
Spraying textures is very much like splattering although in this technique the artist use toothbrush instead. Since toothbrushes are made of nylon and could therefore not hold much paint and water, charging the toothbrush with paint from a paint brush is preferred rather than dipping the toothbrush in a puddle of water diluted color. Again care is observed that the toothbrush is not loaded with too much water as dripping will ruin the work. To spray the texture, rake the bristles of the toothbrush along the points where sprayed textures are desired.
Sgrafitto Textures. Sgrafitto is scratching a layer of paint to reveal the paint underneath. To do this, use thin plastic materials that you could hold firmly or the angled scrapers built into (some) brushes to scrape the underlying colors. This technique is used for detailing flora, branches, and trees.
Stamped Textures. Stamping is applying color using just about anything except the brush. Organic materials are the favorites like leather, sponges, laces, leaves, cross section of tubers; possibilities are endless as textures are. The most commonly used though are sponges and tissue papers. Sponges for example are dipped into the color and applied into the paper to form shapes that are intended.
Back Wash Textures remains the widest used texture in watercolor painting. Backwashing involves the laying of a predetermined area with color and while still wet lays another color that creates and interesting mix as the color merges. The texture is influenced by the natural conduction of water to leave different marks on paper depending on its degree of dryness, wetness, and texture. After that, the brush is dipped in water and flicked over the painting further creating textures and shapes of interesting value as the colors merge.
Alcohol Textures creating this texture is very similar to the backwash and the splatter except that instead of water, alcohol is flicked over the artwork. The chemical composition of the alcohol creates interesting patterns on the paper very different compared to pure water flicking.
Salt Textures. The natural action of salt when it is sprayed in small amounts of water is that it tends to absorb it. This absorption creates patterns different from that of flickering alcohol of pure water. Salt however will accelerate the rotting of the paper over time. In creating textures with similar effect, some artists use saw dust instead that will be brushed off when the painting dries.
The main difference between using a watercolor pencil from using a watercolor with brushes is the degree of control. Watercolor pencils are usually encased in wood and are used in much the same manner as ordinary pencils are used. Since all of us have used pencils more often than brushes, the natural result is the comfort that we hold the pencil and the facility at which we make lines with it. As the skill at painting improves though, the differences diminish. In fact most skilled painters are quite comfortable at using brushes and would prefer them to pencils anytime. Watercolor pencils though are excellent painting aids to both newbie and pro. It is applied technology in the true sense of the word and its applications are still developing.
Watercolor pencils are similar to the effects made with watercolor in tubes except for minor differences in effects.
Line definition
The finest line that you could define using watercolor pencil is applying a sharp point on a dry paper. Then you could control the lines by using the brush to redirect the lines according to the design, effects, and images that you have in mind. This is also where you get the most intense color. In comparison, the watercolor dry technique is the most intense color and lines that you will get out from tubes and pans although because of the thickness of the resulting lines, bronzing results.
When you dampen the watercolor paper before applying the watercolor pencil, the lines that results will be broader and softer. The wetter the surface that you paint the watercolor pencil on, the broader lines become.
Techniques at application
Scraping – You could scrape the color off the pencil mix it with water, adjust for temperaments, and use it as you would a regular watercolor. To create textures, you could scrape the color off the pencil directly into the paper and paint the scrapings over with water for textured effects.
Dry painting – watercolor pencils could produce rich detail. Use the pencils, as you would color pencils. Draw the details and shadings and leave other parts of the drawing untouched or touched barely by water. This could produce interesting variations in textures and colors that could not be produced by other watercolor painting techniques. If you do the painting on a moist surface, paint over a dry pencil to create other textures and details.
Color layering
Typically, you could layer as much color as you desire. The danger only lies in muddying up the color that would result to poor color definition. If you should layer and would want to touch only the color that is in the topmost layer, brush very gently. Brushing the layers over and over would tend to mix all the colors layered over creating the same muddied effect.
Finally, keep the tips of the watercolor pencil clean and dry. Wipe the tip of the pencil after using to keep the colors pure. Before starting on another work, scribble the pencils first on a scrap of paper to remove whatever color left on its tip during the previous painting to insure that you get the color desired.
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